branxer: the stone reefs of brazil. 223 



Serres, Marcel de. iSTote sur la petrification des coqiiilles dans 

 I'ocean actual. Compt. Rend. 1853, XXXVl., p. U-16. 

 The author gives the i-esults of the observations of M. Christine, a 

 surgeon in the French navy, at Bahia. He speaks of the recent sand- 

 stones near tlie lighthouse and north of it. He says they are very hard, 

 are used for building in Bahia, that they contain many shells, and also 

 petrified shells, living species, without traces of animal matter, but with 

 colors fresh. He is of the opinion that these examples show that shell- 

 bearing sandstones are in process of formation in the present seas, and 

 still more extensively in the oceans ; that petrification goes on at 

 present; "that the shell-bearing sandstones of Bahia must have been 

 deposited after the petrification of the shells which they enclose." 



Serres, Marcel de. Sur le depots recents des cotes du Bresil. Compt. 

 Rend. 18G0, L., p. 907. 

 This brief paper (a letter to Elie de Beaumont) was called forth by 

 the letter of M. Liais upon the Pernambuco reef. M. Serres finds in 

 that letter fresh evidence in support of petrification going on at the 

 present time. 



Smith, H. H. Brazil, the Amazons and the coast. Xew York, 1879, 

 p. 438-439. 

 "The reef looks much like an artificial breakwater from end to end, 

 it forms almost a straight line, and the height is very uniform — about 

 ten or twelve feet above high water." On p. 439 there is a wood en- 

 graving of the reef made from a photograph taken from the lighthouse 

 at its north end. 



Santa Teresa, Gio: Gioseppe di. Istoria delle guerre del regno del 

 Brasile accadute tra la corona di Portogallo e la republica di Olanda. 

 Roma, 1698. 

 In Part II., at pp. 202-203, are a view and a plan of Peniambuco, 

 both exhibiting the reef. The plan is obviously inaccurate so far as 

 the city of Recife is concerned, and the reef is represented as strongly 

 curved. It is stated that (Part T. p. 21) : "The Port of Recife is one 

 of the most frequented of the world ; it is protected by a wonderful 

 mole formed there by nature, which rises above the water, and extend- 

 ing a great number of leagues, cut by nature with such regularity as if 

 they were so many moles made artificially at great expense." 



Souza, Pero Lopes de. Diario da Navega^io da Armada que foi a 

 Terra ilo l)razil em 1530 sob a Capitania — mor de Martim Aftonso 



